NOAA s Restoration Efforts in Southern New England Coastal Mapping and Data Needs and Uses

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1 NOAA s Restoration Efforts in Southern New England Coastal Mapping and Data Needs and Uses Jim Turek, NOAA Restoration Center, Narragansett, RI James.G.Turek@noaa.gov August 25, 2010

2 Presentation Topic Outline Overview of NOAA Restoration Center programs Habitat restoration types and project examples North Cape oil spill shellfish restoration program and outcomes Future directions for restoration in Southern New England and coastal and subaqueous soils mapping and data needs and applications 2

3 NOAA Restoration Center Programs: Community-Based Restoration Program (CRP) Creates partnerships with local organizations Provides grant funds through national and regional partnerships (e.g., American Rivers, Restore America s Estuaries, The Nature Conservancy) Fosters community support through hands-on citizen involvement in restoration projects Leverages technical expertise and grant funds Instills natural resource stewardship and a conservation ethic 3

4 NOAA Restoration Center Programs: North Cape Spill Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP) Participate in natural resource damage assessments (NRDAs) with other federal, state, and/or tribal Trustees Secure settlement with Responsible Party for injured resources and lost coastal resource uses (e.g., lost access, recreational fishing, boating) Restoration of resource losses, injury, and interim losses 4

5 NOAA Restoration Center American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) NOAA appropriated $167M in 2009 for shovel ready restoration projects 803 grant applications received, nationwide requesting $3.2B 50 grants awarded including: 6 fish passage projects (2 dam removals, 4 fishways) in RI Marsh hydrology restoration and fish passage project (bypass channel) in CT Marsh hydrology restoration in MA 5

6 Dam Removal and Diadromous Fish Passage Saw Mill Dam, Acushnet, MA River Herring, Nemasket River, Middleboro, MA Dam Removal with Step-Pool Fishway Open Rivers Initiative (ORI) Juvenile Alewife, Indian Lake, South Kingstown, RI 6

7 Dam Removals: Sediment Characterization and Transport Analysis Grain size, bulk density, water content, contaminant analysis HEC-RAS and Tractive Force analysis 7

8 Dam Removal and Diadromous Fish Passage Restore Dynamic Equilibrium and Channel Stability Restore Riverine Ecological Services Ensure Efficient Passage of Target Species Lower Shannock Falls Dam, Shannock, RI Dam Removal with Backwater Weir Installation 8

9 Merrimac Village Dam Removal, Souhegan River, NH Dam Removal and Diadromous Fish Passage 17-ft high dam Removal August 2008 Tributary to Merrimac River Upstream Headcutting Downstream Deposition 9

10 Dam Removal and Diadromous Fish Passage Source: Pearson et al.,

11 Barrier Removal Monitoring GOMC web-based BRM publication released in 2007 Result of workshop in Orono, ME, June 2006 (U.S. and Canada) Detailed methods for stream cross sections, channel profile, sediment grain size, photo stations, water quality, and riparian plant community structure monitoring Suggestions for fish methods and state and provincial macro-invertebrate protocols 11

12 Tidal Marsh Hydrologic Restoration Nonquitt Marsh, Dartmouth, MA Lost Lake Estuary, Guilford, CT 12

13 Tidal Marsh Hydrologic Restoration Gooseneck Cove Marsh, Newport, RI Loss of normal diurnal wetting and drying; waterlogged peat Plant stress and mortality due to high sulfides Degradation of fibrous peat Erosion, suspension and transport Loss in elevation Nonquitt Marsh, Dartmouth, MA 13

14 Tidal Marsh Hydrologic Restoration Gooseneck Cove, Newport, RI Potters Cove, Prudence Island, Portsmouth, RI Walker Farm, Barrington, RI 14

15 Tidal Marsh Loss Through ASLR and Regional Coastal Subsidence Five Mile River Marsh, Darien, CT Niering,1972 Shadel and Turek,

16 North Cape Oil Spill Grounding of barge North Cape and tug Scandia Release of 828,000 gallons of No. 2 heating oil in Block Island Sound nearshore environment during January 1996 storm Oil mixed throughout water column causing mortality of 150 million surf clams (Spisula solidissima) and other bivalves, lobsters, loons, sea ducks, and other biota 379,000 kg of lost shellfish wet tissue biomass 9 million lobster killed and lost recruitment 111,000 kg of finfish 2,100 sea ducks and loons killed, loss of 5-10 piping plover chicks 16

17 North Cape Shellfish Restoration Case settlement in 2000 resulted in $1.5M for shellfish restoration Surf clam was primary species affected by the spill, but natural recruitment and recovery was expected to return population to baseline conditions within relatively short period Target shellfish restoration species: Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) and quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria) Consider Narragansett Bay and coastal pond sites for potential restoration and/or stock enhancement 17

18 North Cape Oyster Restoration Release Site Assessment Historic documented oyster bed site Bottom condition qualitative field assessment Tidal hydrodynamics Documented levels of oyster disease and/or predators Shellfishing pressure Other user conflicts 7 sites selected Upper Narragansett Bay Assessment Sites 18

19 North Cape Oyster Remote Set Monitoring: Survivorship and growth, visual examination of oyster gonads, computation of oyster condition indices and sampling of the water column for oyster larvae abundance throughout spawning season. Spat settlement collectors deployed to monitor oyster settlement Volunteer shell-bagging efforts Oyster spat grown on shell cultch in shallow subtidal waters 5.5 million oyster spat released over 5 years Oyster release in targeted habitat 19

20 North Cape Scallop Restoration Underwater Video Focus on coastal ponds Bottom type and structure Submerged vegetation cover Ford and King,

21 North Cape Scallop Restoration Restoration in 5 salt ponds release of 3.54 million scallops Caged Spawner Sanctuary r 25+ mm Seed Free Planting Spat Monitoring Bags 21

22 North Cape Quahog Stock Enhancement Grow-out of 1+ mm seed to mm seed for release RIDEM Coastal Fisheries Lab Upweller Quahog Notatta Seed Released 761,000 quahogs In 2005, compared pond bottom grow-out of 2 nd year quahogs to seed grown in upweller. Results revealed that upweller produced much higher survival and slightly better growth, but demanded substantially higher investment of staff time. 22

23 Community-Based Quahog Relays and Stock Enhancement Is substrate type and quality a limiting factor for success? 23

24 Future Oyster Restoration Efforts Potential limitations on success: prevalence of oyster disease and lack of substrate or substrate inadequate for larval settlement and recruitment 24

25 Community-Based Scallop restoration Caged Spawner Sanctuaries Substrate type and quality are limiting factors for success! 25